Read Rejection: Publishing Murder Mystery (Lou Drake Mysteries) for Free Online Page B

officer nodded. “Me and my partner. We had a quick look around but we didn’t touch anything. Looks like he might be some kind of writer. There are manuscripts.”
    “Okay, good job. You can wait outside.”
    Collins stood back and looked at the carnage, trying to get a sense of how things went down. Overall the scene was neat, unhurried, and chilling. Just like Petre.
    The forensics team arrived so Collins turned the scene over to them and moved on to the kitchen. The table was covered with stacks of envelopes and paper bundles piled around a laptop. The envelopes were addressed to Orland & Associates Literary Agency. Most were unopened. He used a pen to flip through a couple of paper-clipped manuscripts.
    “Another agent,” Collins muttered to himself.
    A cold feeling seeped into his gut. No way could two mutilated literary agents be a coincidence. If this was the same killer then Collins was up against a truly sick and twisted mind. He also knew the press would be on this like a squawking pile of vultures.
    Collins watched as the black bag containing Paul Orland was wheeled out of the apartment. He sighed and headed for his car. Captain Andrade was going to want all the details.

C HAPTER S EVEN

    DRAKE WAS BORED nearly to death after his first week in the cage. More than that, his efforts to fit in with the three ladies was still a work in progress.
    “They just don’t know you,” his girlfriend Robin had said when he told her he felt like he was getting the cold shoulder. “You’re a friendly guy. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and make friends with them.”
    So Drake followed Robin’s advice. On this morning he arrived at the station with a dozen doughnuts and four coffees. Sure, it was an obvious bribe of sugar and caffeine, but Drake saw it more as connecting through a common weakness. Each of the ladies was overweight and made no bones about it. Flowers were lost on these three, but doughnuts were better than diamonds.
    “Good morning ladies,” he sang out.
    He placed the box on the central counter and opened it. The smell of sugar and fresh baking filled the cage.
    “Are those for us?” Regina said.
    Regina was African American, wore her hair in rows, and was tough as nails. Drake had heard she held a black belt in something. She sported enough jewelry to pass for a gypsy and wore her shirt out so she had no delineation from bust to bottom.
    “If you’d like one,” he said with a smile.
    “What are you up to?” Serena asked.
    Serena was all hips and blue eye shadow, with heavy breasts and lips to match. Each ear displayed a spectrum of four gemstone earrings and her hair was tied back in a long ponytail. She referred to herself as The Goddess and kept her co-workers laughing by saying things like, “Look at all those old paintings in the museums. Those ladies don’t look like no Cameron Diaz. They look just like me.”
    Serena’s eyes flashed with amiable suspicion. “You think you can buy us like that?”
    Drake shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m not buying anything but doughnuts.” He pulled out a chocolate old fashioned for himself.
    “Yeah, right,” Edna said, and then laughed through her smokers cough. “You expect us to believe you brought them in just to be generous?”
    “Hey,” Drake said, “I’m not twisting your arm. You can leave them all for me if you want.”
    “As if,” Edna said with a chuckle. She reached in for a bear claw.
    Edna was close to retirement herself and Drake found himself liking her more and more each day. She could have been someone’s grandmother but for her filthy mouth.
    A cluster of officers passed by outside the glass of the cage. One the officers looked in and sneered at the sight of Drake with food in his hand.
    “Just what he needs, a doughnut.” the cop said.
    Serena snorted with derision. “Don’t listen to that shit,” she said to Drake. “That Ratcliff’s as fat as you and then some.”
    Drake smiled with gratitude. He was starting